Railroad spike



June 22 1926., 1,589,971

VA'N RENSSELAER C. K|NG ET AL RAILROAD SPIKE Filed May 2, 1925 '5V mf ATTORNEY INVENToRs I latented .lone E2, 1926.

UNET

VAN RENSSELAER CROATIE KING, OF RADNGR, PENNSYLVANA, AND LARDi'E-L VAUNXEM MORRES, OF GARDEN CTFV CRETE CROSSTIE CORPORATON, OF NEW YORL, N. Y.,

YORK.

NEX? YORK, ASSIGNORS TO KENGS GN- A COEPGRATON F NEVJ RAILROAD SPKE.

Application filed May 2, 1925.

rlhis invention relates to improvements in railroad spikes tor fastening track rails and rail plates, either or both, to wood crossties. lts object is to produce such a spike in a torni which when driven into wood can neither turn axially nor back out and which when driven will then so tightly plug the upper end portion ot the hole formed in the `wood by the driven spike that water will be excluded from the joint thereby formed, and rotting oi the wall ot the hole and loosening ot the spike in consequence ot rotting, prevented. The strikingly novel feature of our new spike lies in the hereinafter described variant diameters of its shank between the spike neck and the under wood cutting and pcnetratin end of the spike.

ln the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and illustrating our invention,

Fig. l is a vertical, side elevation ot our new spike in rail clamping position, the spike shank extending through a hole in a rail plate and downwardly into a wood crosstie both indicated in vertical section.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the spike, looking at its inward or rail facing side removed.

Figs. 3, Ll and 5 are, respectively, crosssectional views ot the cross-sectionally round spike shank at lines 3 3; and

ot Fig. 2, and indicate the variant diameters of the spike shank.

ln the drawings, our new railroad spike comprises a head l having a track rail base flange clamping extension 2 and side flanges 3 tor engagement by spike pulling implenient when the spike is to be pulled. Immediately under the clamping extension 2, the spike neck which is preferably quad rangular in cross-section, has an inwardly facing, rail flange edge bearing wall et. At its under end, the spike neck merges into the upper end of the relatively elongated straight shank which is cross-sectionally round throughout its length down to its rross-scctionally polygonal, downwardly tapered wood penetrating end, which is preferably made quadrangular in cross-section with two opposed, downwardly convergent, elongated fiat walls 5 each angularly intersecting with each of two other opposed walls 6'. These opposed angularly intersecting walls serve to prevent the driven spike Jfrom turning axially in its hole and Serial No. 27,370.

they also forni, adjacent and extending slightly above the under wedge shape driving down 7, wood cutting corners 8. From above the upper ends ot the fiat walls 5 and G to the under end ot the spike neck, the shank is continuously round in cross-section, encept for a lengthwise extending rib projecting radia ly from its reversed intermediate section.

In accordance with this invention, the cross-section or upper shank portion 9 from the spike neck downwardly is ot uniform diameter throughout its length and has the largest diameter of any portion of the shank. This shank portion 9 constitutes the spike hole plugging section ot the spike. The under end ci this spike hole plugging section 9, tapers curvingly downwards into an intermediate. shank section l() ot lesser diameter than sec ion 9. rlhe under end of t-he intermediate ection l0 slopes annularly outwards into a saoulnered under end section ll oil the spike on the under end portion of which section the walls 5 and 6 and wood cntting corners 8 are formed. The outward annular' slope of the intermediate section l0 into the section 1l terms an annular shoulder lil facing the head; and below this shoulder the diameter of section ll is greater than the diameter et the intermediate section l0 and less than the diameter oi the upper hole plugging section 9. letween the under end ot the upper hole 'plugging section 9 and shoulder l2, the intermediate reduced section ll is termed with a lengthwise extending, radially projecting rib lla. This rib also prevents axial turning of the driven spike and by reason oi" its location above the wood penetrating end permits the wood penetrating end to be varied, it desired, in cross-sectional form.

lll/Then such a spike is driven into resilient wood, the wood libers in the wall ot the spike hole termed, ai'ter having been initially pressed outwards, spring back into tight contact with the entire wall o t the shank and the walls ot rib lla so that the wood in the wall et the hole abuts downwardly as at 13 on the annular shoulder l2 and preventsthe spike from backing ont of its hole, axial turning of the driven spike in its hole being prevented as already described.

Our new spike, when driven int-o a wood lill erosstie 1st, tor clamping a rail and rail plate P, either or both, in place on the erosstie, has the inward hearing surface e of the spike neck in proper hearing relation to the opposed vertical edge l5 ot a rail base Hange- 16, the spike head extension 2 being driven downwardly into desired relation to the upper surface of the rail hase flange.

rEhe upper end section 9 01"' the shank be'- ing slightly larger than the maximum diameter or the under end section 1l of the spike so solidly compacts the lihers in the. wall of the hole that a water and moisture excluding joint is termed. This is especially true in ordinary creosoted wood orossties.

`What we claim is:

is a new article ot manufacture, a railroad spike having a laterally flanged head i'ormed with a rail hase iange clamping eX- tension; a neck formed with an inward rail hase ange edgebearing wall; and a crossseetional'ly round, straight shank having Variant diametric sections, the upper section adjacent the neck being of the greatest diameter and toi-ming a spike hole plugging section; the downwardly adj aeent intermediate section being oi the smallest diameter and merging at its lower end into an under section having a diameter greater than that ot' the intermediate section and less than that 'of the upper hole plugging section, the upper end ot' said under section being formed with an upwardly facing, wood engaging VAN RENSSELAER CHATE KlrlG. LARDNER VAUNXEM llOtRS. 

